The AT&T Microcell Has Been Discontinued, Here Are 5 Replacements

While existing MicroCells will continue to work for now, AT&T is expected to shut down service to all units by the end of 2018.

If you own a MicroCell and rely on it for placing calls at your home or at your office, now is the time to start thinking about replacing it.

Why the MicroCell was Discontinued

To be honest, we’re not really sure. The MicroCell was hugely popular with users. And well over a million devices were sold. But the MicroCell hadn’t been updated in some time - and it relied on older 3G technology, rather than providing newer LTE service.

Cisco was the main manufacturer of AT&T’s MicroCell, and they announced that they were discontinuing their line of femtocells in mid-2017. It’s not clear which came first: AT&T’s decision to discontinue or Cisco’s.

Alternatives to the MicroCell

With the AT&T MicroCell no longer available, how can you boost your AT&T cell phone signal? You have two options, and they’re actually better than AT&T’s MicroCell in multiple ways:

Option 1: Use a Cell Phone Signal Booster

We generally recommend using a booster only if you have at least 1 bar of consistent and usable signal (preferably LTE signal) outside the building.

Since boosters amplify the signal and bring it inside, generally your signal will be as good indoors as it is outdoors after you install a booster.

Signal Boosters vs The AT&T MicroCell

Using a signal booster instead of the AT&T MicroCell has multiple benefits:

Signal boosters support AT&T HD Voice service
That means you’ll experience much better call quality than you would by using the AT&T MicroCell.

Signal boosters support LTE
The AT&T MicroCell only supported 3G service. Support for LTE means you can achieve significantly faster data rates with a signal booster than you would with the MicroCell.

Signal boosters will work for everyone in the building
The MicroCell, on the other hand, only worked for users who were registered to use your MicroCell via AT&T’s online portal.

Signal boosters are more reliable
Boosters don’t rely on your broadband Internet connection. The MicroCell, on the other hand, would stop working if you were having any kind of internet connectivity issues.

Top Recommended Booster Kits:

Please note: before picking a kit, we recommend checking the RSRP and SINR for your outdoor signal. This will help you figure out which kit is the best choice.

The Cel-Fi GO X

If you have weak outdoor signal (less than -80 dBm RSRP) then the Cel-Fi Go X for AT&T is your best choice. The GO X is a carrier-specific device, meaning that it only improves signal for one carrier at a time (just like the MicroCell).

SureCall Fusion4Home

If you have a small home, strong outdoor signal, and a low budget, the SureCall Fusion4Home is a great pick. We recommend purchasing the kit with a yagi outdoor and a panel indoor antenna, as it performs considerably better than the other kit options.

These two numbers help inform exactly which kind of booster you should purchase:

If your RSRP signal strength is stronger than -80 dBm (e.g. -60 or 70 dBm), then you can use a wideband signal booster like those from weBoost, Wilson, SureCall, and HiBoost.

If your RSRP signal strength is weaker than -80 dBm (e.g. -90 or -100 dBm) but higher than -115 dBmandyour SINR is greater than 3 (e.g. 5 or 10) we recommend using a carrier-specific booster like the Cel-Fi GO X.

If your SINR is less than 3 or your signal is less than -115 dBm, please contact us using the live chat at the bottom right of this page. We recommend using a broadband booster instead, but you should know that the coverage area will be very limited

Option 2: Use Wi-Fi Calling

If you have great signal, and your device and carrier supports it, you can use Wi-Fi calling instead of the AT&T MicroCell.

Wi-Fi calling allows your phone to make and receive calls using your Wi-Fi network instead of its cellular network.

Wi-Fi calling works great if:

You have a fast, reliablie broadband Internet connection.

You don’t mind if you have call issues when your Internet connection is under heavy load.

You don’t mind if calls drop when you enter or leave the building.

You don’t mind phone calls not working when your Wi-Fi connection has problems.

You’re using a supported device. Most iPhones now support Wi-Fi calling. Android devices typically only support Wi-Fi calling only if you’re on a carrier-approved device.

You can read about how to enable wi-fi calling on Android devices here, and on iPhones here.

How the MicroCell Worked

AT&T’s MicroCell was a type of “femtocell.” Femtocells create a local cellular network, similar to how a Wi-Fi routers create a Wi-Fi network. But instead of communicating back to AT&T’s network wirelessly, it used your existing Internet connection.